


Impurrfect Circumstances

by Vitanitas



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Cats puns, Comedy, Gen, Lokitty, M/M, Thor ships it, bad puns everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2017-12-22 11:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vitanitas/pseuds/Vitanitas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Almost captured by an unknown enemy, Loki finds himself stuck in his cat form, with a magic-depleting collar wrapped around his neck.<br/>He takes refuge with sometimes-lover Tony Stark.</p><p>Can Tony help him remove the collar before his would be captors show up? Or before Shield takes advantage of his weakened state? Or,more importantly, before Tony Stark drives him up the fucking wall with all these stupid cat puns?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Catastrophe

It's your average spring day in New York City. The sky was a bit cloudy, car horns were blaring, and people were screaming. The Avengers were fighting a hundred giant spiders. It was horrible.

"JESUS SHIT-" Clint screeches, the coms barely able to register the volume of his voice, "I think one just laid some eggs on 3rd avenue."

"Thor, go electrocute the nest please," Steve commands, tone calm and in control. Tony likes to believe he’s internally shitting bricks.

"Aye," Thor says, the timbre of his voice dripping with exasperation, “I am certain these spiders are Loki's doing. Be watchful."

Tony sees Thor shoot into the sky as he monitors the battle from above, firing at as many spiders he can. The worst of the infestation is around Stark Tower, at least four crawling up the sides and trying the build a web between it and the other buildings. The largest ones were at least nine feet wide, their hairy legs and giant fangs dripping with poisonous green venom. Smaller ones scurried in the streets, surprisingly fast and silent. They were pretty hardy too, taking a few repulsor blasts to kill them.

They weren't doing much property damage, but they were freaking people out and one had bit Hulk, leaving a passed out and shivering Hulk in the middle of an intersection, while Black Widow and Cap protected him from the other spiders.

Tony blasted the last few off the tower, guts flying everywhere and landing on the ground below with a soft thump. Scanning the neighboring streets he finds nothing but more giant dead spiders. He turns, thinking to check on Thor and the nest, when there’s a flash of green and he's blasted out of the sky.

He hits the ground hard, wind knocked out of him and creating a small crater in the asphalt.

"Hello, Man of Iron." Loki bends over him where he landed, green cape fluttering in the breeze and sun glinting off his helm, "Enjoying my spiders?"

"Found Loki," Tony grumbles to the team as he stands. "Spiders Loki, really?"

"Everyone hates spiders."

"…True."

“I found them, on a visit to Jotunheim. I thought I’d share them with Midgard.” His grin is sharp and dangerous.

Tony stands, wiping gravel off his suit, flipping his visor up to give Loki a glare.

“Yeah, sharing definitely isn't caring in this case.”

Loki takes a step back as Tony climbs out of the crater, “You know, with Asgard bard to me, I have been forced to look for fun elsewhere. Instead of the spiders, I could always… busy myself with something else.” He winks.

Memories flash in Tony’s mind -of Loki, naked and sweaty lying on top of Tony’s bar as he pounds into him, goading Tony on and giving him that _same damn wink_ -

Tony shoots a repulsor at his face.

The god dodges of course, laughing.

“Really, Man of Iron?” Loki’s face is full of mirth, and Tony rolls his eyes. Give into having sex with a guy and he never lets you live it down.

“It was one time Loki.”

“It was six.”

“Yeah well-”

Thor, of course, picks that moment to show up. He walks up from behind Tony, voice deep with warning and Tony’s blood runs cold.

“Brother…”

All mirth vanishes from Loki’s face, “I’m not your brother.”

Thor ignores him, “Why have you released spiders onto Midgard? Is this what you decide to do with your lenient sentence?”

“Can’t a god have fun once in awhile, not-brother? It is only my nature.”

Thor rolls his eyes, “I see. These spiders hail from Jotunheim, correct?”

Loki eyes his brother with suspicion, “…Yes. What of it?”

A grin blossoms on the thunderers face, bright and sincere, “Then I am glad, brother, that you are using your banishment to come to terms with your heritage and respect it. You have made much progress.” Tony would think it was a jab, if Thor’s expression wasn't so innocent and earnest.

Loki guffaws, “I’m not-”

“We will always love you Loki, and being Jotun will never change that, you should be proud of who you are.” Thor’s face is so full of love and acceptance Tony kinda wants to puke.

Loki, for his part, is rendered momentarily speechless; glaring at Thor, with what might be a faint blush on his cheeks.

Then he smirks.

“I fucked your team mate.”

With a wave he unleashes hundreds of clones, each making a really rude gesture at them, and makes his escape. Tony is left flustered and fearing for his life with a very angry Thor.

The bastard.

~*♠*~

 In truth, messing around on earth with the Avengers (specifically Stark) has been the most fun Loki has had since the cross dressing fiasco with the giants.

The clones do their work, thoroughly confusing and pissing off the Avengers while Loki makes his way down an abandoned street, shifting his attire to something more inconspicuous. He's trying to decide if he should head to a café, or visit Stark for a little after battle sex- when he senses something. A presence not of Midgard.

He turns, dagger flying from his hand but he isn’t fast enough-he’s caught. Tight, white bands gripping his frame, growing tighter by the second and he can feel a pull from them, draining his magic, whiting out his vision from the pain.

 Instinct kicks in, and with the last dregs of his magic he shifts.

 A sleek black cat slips out of the binds and dashes down an alley way, onto a roof, under a car, it flees; taking as many twists and turns as it can to escape, with nothing but its internal sense of direction leading the way.

The cat runs until he can’t any more, its sides aching, panting for breath. Its paws hurt, scrapped and cut from the gravel and broken glass that litter the asphalt of New York. This realm, the cat thinks, for all its variety and intrigue- is truly filthy. Gracefully, the cat leaps over a puddle of what he can only hope is rain water.

The cat shakes its head- no Loki does. He is _Loki_. Cat in form only. He concentrates, realigning his thoughts from the shift of changing forms.

He is Loki, god of mischief, realm walker and shape shifter. Currently a cat, but the god of mischief nonetheless.

 A thought comes to him; curiously, he checks his body… A male cat this time, luckily. The last time he used this form he had been a dainty black she-cat. Feline nature, and a very handsome tabby, had lead Loki to being stuck in the form for an unhealthy amount of time, and a litter of kittens.

Absently, as he takes stock of his surroundings, he wonders how they fare. Frigga had taken them in, and their existence hidden from Odin. He would like to visit them… if Asgard is unbarred to him in the future.

 Shaking his head he looks around, finding himself in an alleyway, near Stark Tower if memory served. His ears twitch, not wanting to acknowledge that pure instinct had directed him here, whether to his not-brother or the intriguing Tony Stark he did not know and did not want to dwell on.

A hind leg scratches at his neck nervously- and snags on the band around his neck. Damn. He escaped all but one it seems. He claws at it more, tries to push it off with his hind legs, and he’s sure he makes quite a sight, squirming in the filth of a midgardian alley. It’s no use though, the band doesn’t budge an inch, and for the most part his magic is blocked off by the damnable thing, only able sense the barest hint of it.

He could try shifting into something smaller of course, but what if the band shrunk with him again? He was small enough as it is.

Hissing in announce, Loki gets up and heads in the direction of Stark Tower, mindful of the speeding cars and questionable looking midgardians that could cause a cat harm. He may have started a war in their city, but the mindless midgardian cruelty he has witnessed has made him question if he was not right to do so in the first place.

He slips into the building just as a rather fat business man walks through the automatic doors. Heightened hearing picks up a faint electronic beeping, Stark’s security systems obviously registering his presence. The guards and the receptionists are too occupied with the fat man to notice him slip past. He makes his way through the building and to a familiar empty room.

For all his postulating that ‘sleeping with the enemy’ was wrong, Stark made it too easy for Loki to slip into his sanctuary and make himself known. Jarvis was given special instructions whenever Loki’s energy signature was picked up inside the tower. Mainly, to vacate the closest room and make sure no one disturbed them.

“Mr. Stark will be down shortly Mr. Liesmith,” Jarvis announced once Loki settled on a chair. If cats could smirk he certainly would have.

A few minutes later the elevator dings and Stark walks out, hair wet and towel around his shoulders.

“Listen Loki, I know how awesome my cock is and everything, but if you really think-” He stops, apparently noticing that Loki wasn't actually there; the confused look on his face was priceless. “aaand you’re not here. Unless magic voodoo. Jarvis?”

“Sensors indicate Mr. Liesmith is 3 feet to your left sir.”

Stark looks, looks down, and finally spots Loki in the chair.

“You’re shitting me.” 

Then he stares. Just stares for a full minute.

Loki shifts uncomfortably.

“Loki?”

He meows.

Stark laughs so hard he ends up on the floor, holding his sides while tears run down his cheeks. He’s muttering something about, ‘bag of cats’ and doesn't stop until Loki swipes his claws at his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying this sillyness. I'm a sucker for tropes so this fic will probably be 50% gratuitous Lokitty shenanigans.  
> Future updates will be sporadic, as I have some other things and my frostiron bang fic to work on.  
> Any advice, critics, or cat puns to use as future chapter titles are very welcome!
> 
> You can also contact me at http://viestadisaster.tumblr.com/


	2. Not Very Amewsing

Tony’s face might be bleeding, but it was still pretty funny.

He sits up, wiping at the blood on his cheek, “Look, if you didn’t want me to laugh at you, you shouldn’t have shown up at the tower as a fur ball.”

Loki’s fur bristles, his ears flattened against his head.

That’s when Tony notices the collar around Loki’s neck. It’s a thin white band, with no clear means of detaching it. Maybe it was elastic?

“What’s with the collar?”

Loki’s ears perk up; he meows, pawing at the collar.

“What is it Lassie? You want me to take off your collar?” Green eyes narrow at him dangerously, “Okay, jesus. Stay still.”

Loki obediently sits still as Tony examines the band. Like he thought, it doesn’t have a buckle or snap, and it’s very snug. He gives it an experimental tug, but it doesn’t budge. He pulls harder, but succeeds only in dragging Loki closer with a hiss of pain.

“Sorry.” Not elastic then. It had a metallic feel to it, but Tony couldn’t identify what metal it was. How did Loki even get this thing on him? The thing was solid, with clear means of opening or stretching it. “I can’t get it off, Loki. And a wild guess here, but you can’t change back without risking choking yourself can you?”

As if reluctant to admit it, Loki looks away for a moment then inclines his head in a slight nod. Thought so.

“Alright then.” Tony scoops Loki under his arm, and makes his way to the elevator, “To the lab!” Loki squirms in indignation the entire way.

Tony places the cat on one of his work tables, ordering Jarvis to start a scan. Loki watches the blue light stream from the ceiling, but leaps from the table before it can reach him.

Tony runs a frustrated hand through his hair. Of course, Loki wouldn’t cooperate. “I need to find out what kind of metal it’s made of.”

But Loki just looks up at him from the floor. “Ugh fine.” There goes Tony’s chance to study Loki’s magic. Oh well.

Tony tries everything.

_Everything._

Shears, saws, lasers, acid…. He hasn’t even left a mark on the damn thing. His lab smells like burnt fur and blood from the amount of times Loki’s bit and scratched him. If it wasn’t so frustrating, Tony would love to make a suit out of the stuff.

Tony puts down the blow torch he was holding and sighs, slouching onto the table. “I don’t know how you got that thing on you Lokes, but it’s not coming off anytime soon. I guess you’re stuck.”

“Meow,” Loki looks pathetic, the fur around his neck ruffled and burned, green eyes wide and beseeching.

“I don’t understand what ‘meow’ means Loki.”

“Mrooow,” he attempts making some type of motion in the air with his paw, but Tony still can’t understand what he’s trying to tell him.

“How about this: blink once if you’re an annoying little shit, or blink twice if Tony Stark is ten times more awesome than the God of Mischief.”

Loki stares at him, ‘not amused’ written all over his cat face. Then he gets up, and jumps down from the table.

“Where’re you going?” But Loki ignores him, small black paws carrying him across the lab and jumping onto the table where Tony was repairing his armor earlier. “Wait what are-”

Then he pisses on the Iron Man helmet.

 “YOU SON OF A BITCH-”

Tony chases Loki for a good hour; tripping over junk he had lying around and commanding Dum-e to catch the damn cat. Eventually (after both Loki and Tony get sprayed by the fire extinguisher) Tony brings out an old analogue keyboard for Loki to communicate with. They tried a touch screen, but all Loki could get out was gibberish.

With slow, careful movements, Loki moves a paw across the keyboard.

“ _Thor_ ”

Tony looks at Loki in surprise. “That serious?”

He nods.

~*~

Tony wasn’t exactly thrilled to call Thor down to his lab. What with all the expensive equipment and delicate projects that could be destroyed from Thor throwing Tony around like a ragdoll. He hadn’t actually said a word to him since Loki let the cat out of the bag (heh) earlier. Sure, he had helped with the city clean up and acted as normal as could be expected, but the dark look he gave Tony when they got back to the tower wasn’t very comforting.

Still, Loki had asked for Thor personally. Experience tells Tony he wouldn’t do that unless he had no other options.

Or it was just all part of some very convoluted plan to destroy them all.

But how likely was that?

So he has Jarvis tell Thor to come to the lab (like hell Tony’s going to go get him), and Tony and Loki wait for him.

“You know, this situation isn’t as a- _mews_ -ing as I thought it was at first.”

So it turns out cats _can_ glare at you.

Jarvis lets Thor into the lab a few minutes later. He’s wearing his more casual armor, but he looks as intimidating as ever. The unfriendly scowl he gives Tony makes it worse.

“I am not pleased with you or my brother at the moment, Man of Iron.” Thor says, probably seconds away from going on a tangent, when notices the black cat on the table. He sighs, expression melting from anger to exasperation “Brother, what kind of trouble are you in this time?”

“ _Mroow?_ ”

Thor picks Loki up from the table by the scruff of his neck; he squirms and hisses as Thor looks him over, “You are always in trouble Loki, that’s how I know. Ah, I see you are male this time. So I am not to be made an uncle again soon?” Loki, of course, tries his best to escape, but Thor just manhandles him in his arms and he ends up gnawing on Thor’s vambraces in frustration.

“Wait wait wait- you can understand him?” Is this another weird alien/god thing?

Thor just brushes him off though, “No, the all-tongue does not extend to speaking with animals. But I have known my brother for millennia, and I can guess what he’d likely say if he could.” Thor inspects Loki some more, frowning at the burnt fur and metal band around his neck, “You let yourself get caught so easily brother! For shame.”

Loki spits and hisses angrily, biting and using his hind legs to try and scratch him, but is once again blocked by Thor’s armor.

“Do you know what that collar is made of? Nothing I used could break it.” Tony asks. Probably a good idea to stay on topic before Loki completely loses his shit.

Thor scratches at his beard with his free hand, ignoring Loki, who continues the growl and spit and bite at him. “I am not sure, but it is not of Midgard.” He closes his eyes and runs his hand over the band, Loki stills. “…and I can sense magic on it. This collar must be blocking my brother’s _seidr_ … and I believe there is a tracking spell on it as well.”

Loki meows in what Tony guesses is in agreement.

“That means he probably led whoever was trying to catch him straight to us!” Tony groans. Just what they all needed, some new enemy attacking the tower looking for a _cat_ that just so happened to be _Loki_.

Thor nods grimly. “Either my brother truly was being careless, or this enemy is very powerful.”

Loki meows excitedly wiggling in his brother’s arm and looking at him expectantly.

“…What’s he saying now?”

A sigh, “I gather he wants me to remove the spell with _Mjolnir_. I would attempt to remove the band as well, but it is likely I would kill him in the process.”

“That… would be bad.”

“Meow.”

He places Loki back on the table and reaches for _Mjolnir_ at his belt. “Be still brother. This may hurt.” Loki just stands haughtily and his tail swishes back and forth. Thor rolls his eyes, “Alight then.”

 Thor places the hammer’s head on the collar. Sparks run along it, small at first and then bursting into a wave of lighting. The air becomes charged with electricity, and it bathes the room in light. Tony shields his eyes from the brightness, and when he opens them again, Loki is limp on the table, a few wayward sparks running along his small black body.

“Is he-,” Tony’s heart pounds; he can’t tell if the cat’s breathing.

Thor places a hand on his brother for a moment, then nods. “He is alive. He should wake soon.” Tony lets out a breath.

Thor picks Loki’s still form up and cradles him in his arms. He runs a hand down Loki’s fur and tries to smooth it down, blue eyes filled with exasperated fondness. “I suppose I will have to return to Asgard as soon as possible.”

“Why don’t you take him with you?” Tony asks. “The can probably remove the collar right?” Maybe they’ll even keep him, and he’ll be out of the Avenger’s hair for awhile.

But Thor shakes his head, “I cannot. Loki is banished from Asgard until my father deems him worthy to return.” Oh yeah, Loki’s pathetic excuse for a punishment. “But attempting to capture a son of Odin in this way is a great offense. He may allow Loki into Asgard long enough to remove the band, and find out who did this to him.”

Tony nods, and then remembers something. “You said something earlier about ‘not being an uncle again.’?” Tony had read the myths of course, but you could never be sure which were actually true.

Thor laughs, and pulls a chair up to Tony, Loki still cradled in his massive arms. He looks so small.

“My brother has many children. I assume you know the tales?” Tony nods. “Not that many years ago, Loki had taken the form of a cat. My brother is fond of exploring, and he has told me taking different forms makes it more exciting. Anyway, he had made a miscalculation while shifting; he became a female cat instead of male. He ended up pregnant, and had a litter of four healthy kittens.” Thor beams at Loki, and scratches him behind the ear. Loki gives a small purr in his sleep.

Tony smiles too.

“He had been stuck as a cat for about four months, and for months after he still acted like a cat.” Thor chuckled at the memory, “He hissed when angry, purred when happy and had a predilection for high places and fish.”

Tony laughs, “Maybe we should keep him like this for awhile. He’s less trouble, and he’s a lot cuter.” Cat-Loki was pretty cute. His fur was black and shiny; a bit wispy but not long like the feather-tailed cat Pepper had bought last summer. His piercing green eyes seemed a bit unnatural though.

Thor snorts. “My brother is trouble no matter what shape he takes.” He stands, “I will retire to my room then.” He holds the still unconscious Loki out to Tony, who stands to take him.

“You’re not gonna take him? He’s your brother,” Why is Loki getting dumped on him? The little shit pissed on his helmet! “What if he attacks me in my sleep or something?”

Thor snorts, “If you trusted my brother enough to sleep with you when he retained all his abilities, you can trust him to sleep with you without them.”

 _Shit._ “Er, about that…”

Thor smiles, innocent and friendly, “Take good care of my brother, Man of Iron. Or I will smite you where you stand.”

Tony feels the blood drain from his face, “You’re kidding, right?”

Thor smirks as he leaves, “Good night Tony.”

Loki shifts in Tony’s arms, and green eyes open blearily.

“You know,” Tony deadpans, “Your brother is an asshole.”

“ _Purrr,_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sooo much for the feed back you guys ;u; this is my first multi-chaptered fic, so I hope I don't disappoint!
> 
> Also, I'm not entirely sure how to tag this so any suggestions? asdfagdfdaj;
> 
> Any advice, critics, or cat puns to use as future chapter titles are very welcome!
> 
> You can also contact me at http://viestadisaster.tumblr.com/


	3. Clawed Reasoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki does some hunting and Thor leaves for asgard.

A cat’s body is lithe and agile; deadly in the swiftness of their paws despite their small size. They are silent as they trod the paths of their territory; ears, eyes, and nose alert for any sign of prey or intruders. When spotted, each muscle will contract as the crouch, before their body springs into the air to catch their victim and kill it with sharp fangs and claws.

Loki’s victim was a rat. It was a huge, black, disgusting piece of vermin. Squirming and squealing once Loki pounced on it before finally quitting and stilling after an efficient bite to the neck.

He gags, dropping his prey in horror after realizing what he has done. In disdain he backs away from the prize that this form had seemed so inclined to catch.

He knew this was how cats hunted, how they found their prey and Loki was not new to this style of hunting, and had in fact eaten a field mouse or two during his last experience as a feline. But this, _rat_ had been crawling around in the detritus and utter filth of New York, one of the filthiest cities of Midgard Loki had ever seen.

Desperately, he uses a front paw to try and wipe the blood off his muzzle. _Oh_ how he can’t wait to get out of this tiny form and destroy who ever trapped him like this.

It was not that Loki disliked this form, quite the contrary; he was rather fond of it. Felines are sleek, fast, and efficient hunters (as he had well learned), smart and independent, not unlike Loki himself.

Humans claim them to be domesticated, but in truth they are nothing off the sort. Cats well never willingly engage in something just because their master or mistress wishes it.

 The cat form also allowed him to infiltrate areas unseen, undetected, and inconspicuously. His heightened night vision and hearing made information gathering child’s play, and unlike the form of an insect, he was a bit harder to kill. It has always been a favorite of his.

(If Loki were to rate life forms on a scale of usefulness and intelligence, where 1 is the highest and 10 the lowest, cats would be a 4 and humans a very generous 5.)

Still, this form did have its downsides. His feline instincts will override his sense of self in an instant.

 He had been stalking around the area of the tower, ears and eyes alert for any sign of his pursuers. Alas, known had shown, and if they had the rat had distracted him from their presence. The scent and sight of prey had dragged him from his task, a dreadful clicking growl rising from his throat unbidden before he lowered into a crouch and sprang, killing the foul thing with his teeth.

Loki eyes his catch balefully. Keeping this form for too long could cause… complications. But with nothing to remove the collar and Thor not yet gone to Asgard to beg for help on his behalf, there was not much he could do but wait.

His tail lashes in frustration, and he fully intends to make his way back to Starks bedroom and sulk, but there is still the issue of the rat.

It’s really not a pretty sight; the perfect picture of Midgaurdian refuse truly, and Loki wouldn’t eat it even if he was starved and on his way to Hella herself. It lies in the corner of the alley, its black fur matted with blood and its mouth open in a silent scream, exposing its yellow teeth.

That _thing_ had been in his _mouth_.

 _Disgusting_.

 _And yet_ , he muses, _it is wrong to waste prey_ …

~*♠*~

Sleeping had been fine, almost pleasant, Loki a warm a fuzzy weight at the end of the bed, still too tired from his ordeal with Mjolnir to make a much of a fuss.

 It was waking up with razor sharp claws digging into his leg that had been not so pleasant.

So he _may_ have accidently kicked Loki a few times in his sleep. Damn cat didn’t have to go ballistic on him, claws raking down his leg, cutting him through the thin blanket he had been using. His shout of pain and Loki’s caterwauling probably could have been heard throughout the tower if the walls hadn’t been sound-proofed. In the end, Tony had left his room bloody and limping slightly, and Jarvis had opened up a path for Loki to leave the tower unseen.

Speaking of the tower, he thinks as he passes by the common room, he should probably tell the others that a newly diminutive and feline god of mischief would be staying with them.

Or maybe he shouldn’t… A cat would make wonderful target practice for Clint. Even if it was Loki, he was just a cat right now, and probably wouldn’t survive an arrow to his, well, everything.

Not to mention what would happen if Shield found out. The thought of Loki’s small black body strapped to a table and experimented on made him sick (for the record, none of Stark Industries products are animal-tested, even before Afghanistan- Pepper made sure of it).

So a secret then.

"Tony," Bruce greets as he passes him in common room, giving a jaunty wave. Bruce frowns, "Why is your hand bleeding?"

Tony looks down and his hand is indeed bleeding, a barrage of cuts across it, probably from when he was grabbing Loki off his leg. It hurts like a bitch now that he thinks of it.

"Huh."

"Tony..." Bruce admonishes, concern painting his features in an unattractive way. Ugh, Tony can't stand that look on people, least of all Bruce.

"Think you can look at it?" Tony asks.

"I'm not your doctor Tony." Bruce says fondly, already examining his injured hand.

"Really? I've always thought of you as _mine_..." Bruce just rolls his eyes, "My leg too, Brucey."

“And your _face_.” Exasperated, Bruce leads Tony to his lab/first aid station (none of the avengers ever want to see a real doctor so half his lab is now an acute care).

With an gentleness only Bruce can posses, the doctor tends to the cuts, cleaning and bandaging them as Tony keeps a steady stream of babble flowing from his mouth. In reality, Tony probably could have done this himself, but he hadn’t spent any quality time with his science bro in a while.

"Tony,” Bruce says, finishing up wrapping on his hand, “These look like animal cuts.”

 _Shit,_ Tony thinks in a panic _, he already knows I can't keep a secret my secret identity lasted all of two minutes why did I think I could keep this a secret shit shit-_

"Yeah, Thor and I found a stray.” He says thinking quickly, and technically it’s not even a lie. “Little bastard went a psycho on me this morning."

"A cat. You and Thor found it?"

“Yeah...”

“And you're talking to Thor without him killing you?”

Well crap. Apparently the others did hear that. “For the record, he did dump a psychotic cat on me.”

Bruce snorts, and starts putting away the bandages. “Well if you need any help with the cat let me know.”

“Will do Brucey.” With a tinge of guilt, Tony remembers the past out Hulk in the middle of New York, “How are you? Any ill effects from the spider incident?”

“No, the gamma radiation gives me a strong healing factor.” He shrugs, “But I did get a sample of the venom before Shield cleaned the place up. I was going to take a look at it; the cold it emits is remarkable…”

This of course, perks Tony right up. Nothing to fix a bad morning like science. “Jarvis, can you bring up some footage of the spiders? I’m thinking spider robots…”

“Tony, _no_.”

~*♠*~

It’s not long past midday when Loki finds his way back to the tower, his catch still gripped between his teeth. New York is packed with shuffling feet and speeding taxis; navigating the city without being crushed is a feat in itself, not to mention while carrying a huge rat. He’d been chased from a store front a few times already.

He runs through the glass doors as someone is leaving, hoping to get through the public areas quickly, but is caught before he passes the threshold.

“There you are Kit-Kat.” Tony says, swooping Loki up with a hand under his chest before he can get away. Loki growls deep in his throat, wiggling to break free.

“Aw don’t be like that,” Tony coos, turning Loki around to face him, “Where were-”

And that’s when he screams.

Horrified, he drops Loki like, well, like someone would drop a cat that has an ugly dead rat in its jaws. Loki lands on his feet (of course) and the people around the lobby look at Stark in confusion.

With as much grace as this form can muster, Loki takes his catch and lays it at Starks feet; looking up at him, he gives an adorable mew.

The people in the lobby scream, women running away from the rodent, tripping over their expensive heels in their need to get away, the security guards trying and effectively failing at calming the crowd down.

Loki dashes further into the tower, hoping to find a good place to watch the commotion and avoid Starks wrath, who is screaming all of earth’s colorful profanities at him.

 Originally, he intended to place the rat in his shoes or something of the like, but this was much better. If he could, Loki would sigh at how beautiful the chaos is.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t make very far into the tower before he’s yanked into the air by the scruff of his neck.

Loki struggles in the hold, his balance lost, vainly attempting to use his claws to scratch the hand that holds him.

“Brother, “Thor drawls, completely unsurprised, “What have you done now?”

“You-” Stark pants, finally having caught up to Loki, sweating and looking like he had run from a gang of Jotuns, “You bastard! Do you know what the press is gonna say about this? Pep is going to _kill_ me.”

As Thor adjusts his hold- damn those vambraces-, and Stark continues his ranting, Bruce Banner walks into the room. Loki stiffens in his brother’s hold, his body ceasing its struggling as the cats and his own instinctual fear cause his fur to fluff up.

“Is this the stray you were talking about Tony?” He asks, his demeanor never betraying the beast that lies beneath his skin. He looks at Loki curiously, and Loki can’t help the shiver of fear that runs up his spine.

“Yes,” Stark growls, glaring at Loki who flattens his ears in return, “He brought a rat into the lobby and now I have to have the whole tower checked for an infestation!”

“It sounds like he was bringing you a present.” Banner says, bringing his hand to Loki’s nose to sniff before carefully running his fingers along the top of his head.

Loki allows it. He doesn’t want to end up a black smudge on the floor because he couldn’t stop himself from biting someone.

“Cats do that as a way of showing affection. He’s trying to teach you how to catch prey.” He finishes, giving Loki a final pat on the head before turning to Tony.

“I don’t need to know how to catch rats.” Tony grinds out, “I made damn sure this place was rodent free goddammit…” He mutters under his breath.

Ignoring him, Bruce turns to Thor and smiles, “What’s his name?”

“Loki.”

Stark looks like he’s about to have a heart attack, gesticulating widely behind Banner.

Banner for his part, only chuckles. “That’s cute.”

Stark lets out an audible sigh of relief.

“Have you told the others yet? Also you’re going to need cat food and a box… And if he was a stray he definitely should get his shots.” He studies Loki again, “Especially if he was catching rats.”

“On Asgard, felines mostly take care of themselves.” Thor says confusedly.

“Well, there are probably more chances of disease here on earth than on Asgard.” Bruce explains.

Loki can feel his brother’s grip around him tighten, “I see.”

“Don’t worry about it Thor,” Stark tells him, clapping a hand on his shoulder, “And Bruce, we got this. Go back to playing with your snake venom.”

Bruce snorts, but gives Loki a little wave as he leaves, “Be good Loki.”

Only once Bruce is out of ear shot and Loki’s fur has flattened back to normal does Stark let his anger out again. “Thor when are you leaving? I can’t have him bringing rodents into my building.”

“I believe the term is ‘you’ve made your bed, now lie in it.’” Thor laughs, a deep rolling thunder that Loki can feel through Thor’s armor, “And I am leaving presently, although it may be a few days still until I return.”

Together they take the elevator to the top of the tower, Loki still in Thor’s arms when they reach roof and the designated Bifrost site of the tower.

It’s nice, being held in Thor’s arms and hearing him speak to Stark about this and that, it’s warm, and reminds him of when they shared a bed as children.  It’s almost a shame when Thor finally puts him back on the ground, his naked paws touching the cold concrete of the roof.

“Be well.” His brother says, rubbing a large hand over his head, before stepping further out onto the roof, “Take care of him Tony.”

“I will big guy, don’t sweat it.” Stark groans.

“See that you do.” Thor threatens, and Loki would be offended if it wasn’t so funny how white Stark turns at the tone of Thor’s voice.

Then Thor shouts for Heimdal, and the Bifrost cascades from the heavens in a buffeting force of color and power. The colors seem strange to Loki’s cat eyes, it’s power almost blinding, and he has to look away. When he is able to look again, Thor is gone, home; somewhere out in that huge sky on Asgard and Loki can’t help the twinge of pain he feels in his heart.

The Bifrost may never take him home again, and in that moment Loki feels very, very small.

Minutes pass, Loki staring up into the sky, the wind cold as it glides over tiny black-furred body.

“Hey,” Stark says softly, crouching down beside him, “Let’s go inside, okay?”

Gently, Stark takes him in his arms, and Loki doesn't have it in himself to struggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry this took so long!!! Hopefully my updates will be more regular in the future...  
> Thank you to everyone that's commented and kudo'd ;u; Ilu.
> 
> Any advice, critics, or cat puns to use as future chapter titles are very welcome! Or any specific Lokitty shenanigans you might like to see C:
> 
> You can also contact me at http://viestadisaster.tumblr.com/


	4. Catnipped

The next several days are uneventful for the most part. He and Bruce informed the others about Thor and Tony’s new pet, the team barely batting an eye at the choice of name for the scraggly black cat in Tony’s arms. Tony wasn’t really sure if he should be suspicious or relieved at that. But as long as no one or questioned anything, Tony would carry on as usual. Loki sulks, barely leaving Tony’s penthouse suite while Tony- due to Bruce’s nagging- becomes a responsible cat owner.

Thor’s departure left Loki pretty melancholy, not bothering to struggle when Tony picked him up and paraded him around to the other avengers, only giving a pathetic growl when Tony ruffled his fur the wrong way. After that Loki remained in the penthouse for the next few days, sleeping for the most part, while Tony gathered the items necessary for owning a cat.

Which is difficult, because technically Loki isn’t a normal cat. Sure, he sleeps a lot, purrs, hisses and growls like a normal cat, even caught a rat like a normal cat, but there is something, a spark of intelligence behind unnatural green eyes that Tony has never seen in any other feline. Natasha sees it too, even if she doesn’t say anything beyond Tony keeping his mangy feline away from her floor of the Tower.

Still, Tony does what he can to make the cat comfortable. Loki gets a bed (which he refuses to sleep in), a mountain of toys (that he only plays with when no one is around), a covered litter box that cleans itself (Because no, no way in hell is he- no.), and one of those fancy running water cat dishes (which Loki is surprisingly very pleased with).

“That cat has you pussy-whipped.” Natasha laughs at him while he sets up the water dish in the kitchen, Clint snickering behind her.

“Shut up.”  He says, trying in vain to connect the expensive fountain to the pipes under the sink.

From the kitchen table Steve looks on disapprovingly. “You’re spoiling him Tony; next he’s going to have a diamond incrusted collar.” Tony decides not to mention the collar that had ‘Princess’ written in diamonds that he had ordered the night before.

But the thing is Tony had _tried_ treating Loki like a normal cat. When Tony had first set a bowl of water and a bowl of dry cat food in front of Loki, the cat had growled, knocked over the bowls and then tried to attack Tony, chasing him out of his own room. Loki refused to eat cat food, refused to drink out of a bowl and Tony didn't want to chance him dying from sheer stupid pride while Thor was gone. If he found out his stupid cat-brother had died of starvation because of Tony he’d probably raze the Tower to the ground.

So Tony spoils him, for now anyway. And it wasn't like he couldn’t afford it. Plus the approval or disapproval of what Tony brought him seemed to help him out of his melancholic state, but he still dosen’t venture far out of Tony’s rooms. Jarvis keeps him out of the other Avengers floors, keeping him restrained to Tony’s penthouse, the kitchen, common room, library and home theater, but he only rarely journeys to the kitchen for water.  Due to the rat incident, Tony took away Loki’s lobby privileges and much to Loki’s rage (if the fresh scratch on his arm is to go by) his ability to leave the tower.  But Tony doesn’t want him to get run over by a taxi or bitten by a rat or _found by whatever the hell that was trying to capture him in the first place_ , so Loki will have to make due until Thor returns.

\--

Thor is gone for a lot more than a few days. Into the second week Loki stops sulking and begins pacing the penthouse in an agitated state, sometimes running back and forth from the bedroom to the living room for no discernible reason. After the fifth time Tony almost trips on him, he’s had enough.

Dropping his tablet onto a chair, he crouches down and catches Loki the next time he tries to run by, gently pinning him to the ground so he can’t attack him. “Okay Lokitty, whats your problem?”

Loki growls where he is on the floor, wriggling slightly to try and escape Tony’s hold.

“ _Sir, I believe Mr. Liesmith is exhibiting signs of anxiety._ ”

“Anxiety? Because of Thor being gone so long?” Loki’s rumbling growl increases, but Tony rubs his head so it comes out as a stilted ‘ _mrow-ow-oww’_.

“ _That and Mr. Liesmiths prolonged stay indoors may be the most likely causes sir.”_

Tony sighs, slowly letting go of Loki and giving him a little shove towards the door. “Well, I’m not letting you outside anytime soon. Why don’t you go bother the other avengers for awhile?”

With a prolonged stare, Loki gets to his paws and pads out of the room, his head held up haughtily as he walks towards the elevator.

“Keep an eye on him Jarvis.” Tony says, reaching for his tablet again, the reading from the small scanner he attached to the band around Loki’s neck appearing on the screen.

“ _Will do, sir.”_

Finally having some peace, Tony gets to work. The device takes a long time to scan, too small to hold much power. Until then he contents himself with watching a video of Loki’s spider attack on his tablet, trying to study the arachnids’ movements so he can attempt to replicate them in robot form later. Plus, if he can find out where Loki went after the battle maybe they can get a glimpse at who tried to catch him. Tony isn’t entirely certain it wasn’t shield…

Unfortunately Tony doesn’t get far into his research before Jarvis interrupts him.

“ _Sir, I believe agent Barton is drugging your new pet.”_

\--

His skin felt like it was crawling beneath his pelt. He felt so full of energy, and the intense desire to _move_ , the need to run and not think of how it was the cats instincts that it were making him feel this way. That it was Thor’s too long stay in Asgard that was making his belly clench in fear and anger.

What if something happened on Asgard? Was Frigga alright? Were his kits? He bounded onto Stark’s bed again, claws catching on the comforter before propelling himself off and back onto the floor. Or maybe Thor was purposely taking his time, making him suffer in this form surrounded by his enemies…

He was on his fifth circuit around the penthouse when Stark pinned him.

It’s not that Loki was wary of leaving Starks quarters; he simply didn’t want to deal with the other pathetic mortals that lived within the lavish tower. But if Stark wanted him to ‘go bother the other avengers’ by the Norns he _would._

Making his way into the common room he finds Barton on the couch, watching something on the large T.V. on the wall.   _Ah, Barton…_ Loki can’t help but feel the vindictive glee he feels at finding the archer as his first victim. Barton was constantly trying to shoot his eyes out during battles, and while Loki could understand the grudge (he himself would do anything to have seen the bomb destroy the legions of Chitauri again) he is very fond of his sight and not looking like Odin or Nick Fury.

Silently he stalks into the room, a few dozen plans running through his head as gets closer. However, Barton lives up to his code name and spots him before he can enact any of them.

“Loki!” he chirps excitedly, “I was wondering when you’d come out.”  He gets up quickly, a mischievous smile on his face. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Intrigued, Loki does as he’s told, settling down on his haunches and contemplating what the archer could be bringing him.  Barton returns shortly, a bag filled with dried herbs and a stuffed mouse in his hand. The sight of the toy mouse would have made Loki leave right away if it wasn’t for the smell the wafted into the air when Barton opened the bag.

It was strange…. The scent wasn’t unpleasant, but there was something familiar about it.

Holding the stuffed mouse by the tail, he waves it in front of Loki, “Here, get the mousey, get the mousey!” He says, in horribly babyish tones.

Angrily, Loki claws at the pathetic toy, ripping a small tear in the fabric. The scent intensives, and suddenly Loki knows what the herb is. _Catnip…_ Loki thinks hazily, as a strange euphoria comes upon him. The archer sits cross-legged next to him on the floor, placing more of the dried herb in the mouse and dangling it in front of Loki for the cat to bat at, who does so enthusiastically.

“Do you like Mousey?” Barton laughs, pulling the mouse just out of Loki’s reach again.

Loki can feel his anger at being spoken too that way somewhere in the back of his mind, but it slips from his mind as he finally gets a claw in the plush mouse, sending another cascade of beautifully smelling herb to the floor. He sniffs it eagerly, rubbing against it before going back to the mouse in Barton’s hand, desperately trying to catch it again.

By the time Stark rushes in, shouting something about how Barton was ‘drugging his cat’ Loki is out of his mind. He doesn’t know if he is cat or god anymore, all he knows is _the smell._ Euphoric didn’t cover it. It was pure _bliss._ He doesn’t pay any mind to Stark or Barton, content to roll around on his back, rubbing his muzzle against the mouse now that Barton wasn’t dangling it out of his reach in a cruel tease.

“Hey, it’s just catnip.” Barton whines, “And look at how nice he’s being now.” As if to punctuate this, he gives Loki a rough pat on the head. Playfully Loki bats a paw at him, but is otherwise too preoccupied with the mouse to care.

Stark laughs. “Yeah, well, I think he’s had enough for now.” And suddenly Loki is lifted from the floor away from the mouse and the delicious herb.

“ _Noooo,”_ he thinks, lazily attempting to reach the mouse on the floor with his paw, “ _Mousey and I have resolved are differences and are friendsss.”_ The delicious scent is fading now, and Loki releases a mournful mewl.

“Say goodbye to Clint.” Stark chuckles, taking one of Loki’s limp paws and waving it at Barton who laughs before picking up Loki’s mouse friend and leaving. Stark cradles him to his chest, belly up, and really Loki knows he should be struggling, but he still feels so much _bliss._

“ _Put me down or I will claw the metal heart out of your chest.”_ He tries to growl, but it only comes out as a purr and he may have even drooled a little. Stark pats him on the head.

The world spins as Stark takes them back to his quarters, settling them on the couch with Loki on his lap. A hand comes down and strokes Loki’s fur, and Loki purrs deeply, enjoying the attention. He feels more relaxed then he has since this whole incident started, probably even before that. The scent of the catnip is fading, but Stark has a pleasant scent as well; metal and scotch and something vaguely electric. Stark returns his attention to his tablet, absentmindedly petting Loki until the cat eventually falls asleep.


	5. Despurrate

Loki growls in annoyance as a pair of metal claws draw near him, the strange whirring the bot gives off filling him with dread. Loki quickly dashes across the workroom floor, finding Stark cross-legged in the linoleum with pieces of metal strewn around him. The bot wheels after him, only stopping when the metal parts scattered on the floor bar its way. Carefully, Loki steps around the parts, coming to sit beside Tony, who has yet to detect his presence. He prods the man's leg with his paw.

Noticing his company, Stark puts down what looked like a piece from his suit and leans back on his hands. "What do you need Lokitty? Upset your drug dealer Clint is out on a mission?"

Irritated, Loki's ears flatten against his head. He had only been curious as to what the man was up too. Pointedly he looks over to Starks current project.

"This? I'm trying to fix this hip joint; it's been stiff lately..." He mutters, fiddling with the metal in his hands.

Loki shifts a bit on his haunches, watching Stark work. Loki had never been very interested in weapons crafting or armory, having found the crafting of enchantments for his steel much more fascinating. However, watching Stark's hands move over the metal and listening to him sing under his breath was infinitely more interesting than watching the city from the penthouse window. As the minutes pass, Loki settles in more easily by Tony’s thigh, and absently Tony strokes a hand down Loki’s back.

Dum-e emits a pathetic whirring noise.

Loki had forgotten it was still there. When he turns to look, the machine tilts its head to the side and beeps. Deciding to ignore it, Loki places his front paws on Tony’s thigh, pushing himself up to get a closer look at the part in the engineer’s hand. The bot behind them makes another noise, somehow it sounds troubled.

Loki begins to nuzzle against Tony’s arm, rubbing his scent on him and purring loudly.  The bot’s noise becomes louder, and it rolls back and forth on its wheels, distressed that it can’t get closer. Loki purrs louder.

“What- Loki?” Stark says in confusion, hesitantly petting the cat on the head. Loki, for his part, enthusiastically rubs his head against the hand, pushing himself into Tony’s lap.  The machine is practically vibrating in frustration. Strange, Loki didn’t know machines could feel envy.

Loki is enjoying a particular nice scratch behind his ear when he feels cold metal prodding at his side. Surprised that the machine was able to get close enough, Loki hisses at it, only to have the pinchers snap angrily at him. Swiftly Loki leaps from Stark’s lap, the machines claws a hair’s breadth from grabbing him, there is a loud clang and the sound of Stark yelling.

“Dum-e! What the hell?!”  The bot had ended up half in Stark’s lap, whirring and twisting in confusion.

Loki isn’t sure if he’s happy Dum-e fell, or angry that it stole his place. He doesn’t have long to dwell on that though, as the sound of another angry machine comes rolling toward him at speed, whirring and beeping in what must be righteous fury. His fur rising on end Loki hisses and spits at the bot, but the cruel machine refuses to stop, ignoring Stark’s yelling and chasing Loki out of the lab, only stopped by the stairs its cumbersome wheel could not alight.

Bristling with rage Loki winds his way through the tower, trying and failing to find a way out. Every stairway was closed to him, and no elevator would open for him, not matter how much he clawed and yowled at the doors.

Frustrated and miserable, Loki slinks back to the penthouse, the doors and Stark’s private elevator easily opening in his path. He slumps in front of the bay windows, the sun warming his fur and providing some comfort as he gazes onto the city. Once he was looking upon this city from this tower quite differently, as it’s would be conquer. Now he is nothing but a tiny creature trapped within it.

“ _Mr. Silvertongue?”_

Loki’s ear prick up when Jarvis addresses him, the AI having several names it refers to him by, as Loki had reacted… badly when he had first referred to him as ‘Odinson’. He looks up to the ceiling in acknowledgement.

“ _I am unable to give you passage to the lower floors, but perhaps some time on the balcony for fresh air would be adequate?”_ With that, the glass door to the balcony clicks open, just wide enough for Loki to get through.

The wind tugs slightly at Loki’s fur as he steps outside, the many scents and sounds of New York filling his senses. The reprieve from the stagnant atmosphere of inside wasn’t much, but Loki was grateful to the AI for it. So far most of Stark’s creations seemed to have it in for him.  Those wretched bots never ceased their pestering him, crowding him on sight with their menacing claws and powerful steel frames. Unlike Jarvis whose voice had at least a semblance of personality, the machines were difficult to decipher.  Loki was never certain whether they meant to harm him, or were merely curious. However his tail had been run over one too many times for his liking and he preferred to keep his distance from them.

He would not have ventured into the lab if the rest of the tower hadn’t been so… silent. The other Avengers were off on missions or charity work except, Bruce who was locked away in his lab much like Tony was. In reality the Avengers were seldom ever in the tower at the same time, much to Loki’s surprise, and the areas that Loki was allowed in were now deserted.

Restlessly Loki paces the roof. He was bored out of his mind, increasingly anxious about Thor’s absence and trapped within this Tower. Confinement had never gone well with Loki, and it will drive him mad if he stays here much longer…

Loki rests at the edge of the balcony, paws tucked underneath him. He peers through the barrier at the city below him. Those who had placed this infernal collar on him were still somewhere on this realm, within this city.

Thor has been of no help, either having abandoned him on Midgard or in some sort of peril on Asgard. Tony was no use either, only wanting to study his magic or tease him for his predicament. Coming here was a mistake; the occupants of this tower as useless as they are annoying.

He needs to take matters into his own paws- _hands_. He shakes his head,frustrated. He needs _out._

Suddenly, an idea forms in his mind.

Getting back onto his paws, he studies the plastic barrier around on the edge of the building. There are no openings for him to slip through. He spots the ostentatious ‘A’ that stands out among the other letters.  It interrupts barrier, thick enough for him to grip onto, and not too high for him to reach.

He tenses on his haunches, and jumps.

\---

 “Sir, I believe Master Loki is about to fall off the side of the building.”

Tony’s tools clatter to the floor.

“WHAT?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the wait! I had a crazy few months with finals, barely passing my math class, getting into a car accident, moving, and last minute cosplay construction =w=;;.
> 
> But the good news is that I have this story all plotted out and a few more chapters written out that just need editing. The bad news (good news?) is I also started on the sequel to Flutter, and am hoping to have that out in July, so a lot of my focus will be on that soon.
> 
> Anyway, I'll try to have the next chapter of this out next week, feel free to hit me up here or on tumblr if I forget c:


	6. Fur realsies?

Stepping through the halls of Asgard after a long absence is something Thor will never tire off. The sense of familiarity and _home_ is like wave washing over him. He lets his coming be unannounced, wanting to walk through his childhood home without being flocked by guards or people of the court.

It is by luck then, that he catches his mother in the corridor leading to the throne room.

"Mother!” He calls out to her, quickening his pace to catch up with her.

"Thor," she smiles at him, placing her hand on his cheek. “I did not know you were here. How are you?”

“I am well, mother.”

“And the Lady Jane?” She asks.

“As intelligent and beautiful as ever.” Thor tells her, “She is currently visiting her own mother, in a city called London.”

Frigga nods at that. "And how is your brother?"

Thor pauses. "That is actually why I’m here mother, to ask father for some help... Loki has found himself in some trouble."

Her eyes darken in worry. "What kind of trouble?"

"Nothing too serious, really. He’s perfectly fine, and I've left him in the care of a companion of mine he has taken a liking too."

"Then he is in no immediate danger then?" She asks, her brows still furrowed in worry.

"At the moment, no.” Thor reassures, “And as he is not in any danger, I think it best to let him experience his trouble for awhile long; it will be good for him."

Frigga snorts, "And they call your brother the god of mischief.”

Thor smiles cheekily at her.

"Well then, let’s go tell your father your home." She takes his arm and the walk together deeper into the castle, "Now tell me about the mortal your brother has taken interest in..."

He spends a good two weeks on Asgard. He hunts and feasts with his friends, fights a bilgesnipe that had attacked a nearby village. He enjoyed it, for he had missed Asgard and its people. But Midgard was also his home, and it called to him like voice on the wind.

Also Jane had been calling him literally, on his cell phone and he should really get back to her.

So he says his goodbyes to his friends and his parents and goes off to his chambers to pack some souvenirs for Jane, and some old trinkets for Loki from his old chambers. His mother visits him while he giving his chambers one last look over; curious as to why there seems to be a few less trunks of gold in the corner than he remembered.

“Thor, you still have yet to tell me what trouble Loki was in.” She admonishes.

“Ah,” he says, rubbing the back of his head. “I guess I have forgotten. You see…”

`````````

 “Sir, I believe Master Loki is about to fall off the side of the building.”

Immediately Tony drops his tools, launching himself up from the floor. He runs to the automated assembler, the claws of the machine already out and reading the parts of his suit.

“Sir I may have miscalculated-”

“What did you miscalculate?!” He yells at his AI while the suit attaches to him. “All you had to do was keep him out of trouble!”

“Sir-”

“Just shut the hell up and tell me where he is.” The face plate snaps down and Tony zooms out of the building and into the New York skyline.

“Near the ‘Stark’ sign sir, I thought some fresh air would ease his anxiety, and had let him on the balcony.”

“Yes, because Loki being on the roof of Stark Tower always leads to good things.” Tony mutters, zeroing in on Loki’s location.

Tony flies quickly, but slows down the closer he gets to Loki. The cat is crouched on the ledge, a black smudge atop the ‘A’ of the insignia of his building; his fur on end and his green eyes wide with fear.

 “Hey Loki, here kitty kitty…” He calls, attempting to sound soothing. “Time get down now okay?”

Tony flies over as smoothly as possible, trying his best not to frighten the already spooked cat.

“It’s me, okay?” He lifts his face plate up, so Loki can see him. “I’m just going to take you back onto the balcony…”

But Loki doesn’t seem to understand, just stares at him with wide, scared eyes, and his ears flat against his head. He can hear a faint growling over the wind.

He tries for several minutes to calm Loki down, try and tell him to turn around and jump back on the observation deck, but Loki seems frozen. Deciding he’s just going to have to chance it, Tony grabs him.

This of course, makes Loki freak the fuck out. He tosses and turns in Tony’s hold, caterwauling and swiping with his claws in all directions.

A claw snags Tony’s cheek, deep. “Jesus Loki-“ Tony gasps in pain, struggling to keep Loki in his grip while not crushing him with his gauntlets. “Loki calm d-”

And that’s when Loki slips from Tony’s grasp, falling from the sky and soon to be a Loki pancake on Park Avenue.

In numb shock, Tony watches the screeching cat descend. This goes on for a few moments until Jarvis helpfully reminds him that he should probably catch him.

Snapping back into action, Tony maneuvers himself into a dive, swooping Loki into his arms a good ways away from the ground. Loki shakes and shivers in his arms, but Jarvis scans indicate that he’s uninjured. Slowly, Tony descends to the ground, which at this point is closer than the deck. Plus, Tony figures Loki’s had enough flying for today. A small crowd had gathered around the base of the mansion, probably when they saw Iron Man flying around catching falling cats.

“Iron Man saved a kitty!!” a little girl squealed.

“Is that the same cat from the other day?” someone else asked.

“Wow!”

“Is it okay?”

“Yeah, he’s okay.” Tony says, maneuvering Loki in his arms so he can look him over. “He’s just a little shaken up I think.”

Slowly Loki recovers from the shock, peeking out from Tony’s arms at the crowd of people around them. He looks up at Tony once, before gracefully leaping out of Tony’s arms.

“Hey- wait!”  Frantically Tony tries to grab him, but Loki is slippery and determined. He slips past the people of the crowd trying to grab him, and then disappears into the city.

“Aw, you’re kitty got away!” The little girl says, her face filled with disappointment.

“Ugh. I guess he did.” Tony groans. “Also for the record that is Thor’s cat, not mine… And he’s going to be pissed when he finds out he got away…”

Suddenly, the wind picks up, battering them all. Above them there is light, and the unmistakable sound of a portal opening and closing. A quick glance upwards proves that the Bifrost had just opened at the top of his tower, opening and closing in a moment.

The air stills and he crowd is silent.

“Tough break Tony!” someone laughs as the crowd starts to disperse.

.....

With his newly reinstated freedom, Loki once again finds himself treading the busy streets of New York.

It had been a spur of the moment plan. Putting himself in peril knowing Stark would save him had been a risky move, but in the end it had worked. Although, he thinks as he gives shakes out his fur, he hadn’t expected his cat self to become paralyzed in fear- or to have attacked Tony in the middle of his rescue. But he supposes that as far as most of his plans go, this one he would consider a success.

But now that he had escaped, Loki’s main concern was the removal of the collar. With Thor s _till_ gone, his only chance at finding a way to remove it is probably hidden in one of the many spell tomes he stolen from Asgard before he had been so ungraciously kicked out. The tomes held knowledge from all across the nine realms, surely there must be something in one of them.

He jumps over a pile of questionable garbage, and continues walking along the side walk. Getting to his Midgardian residence as a feline will be difficult, but not impossible. He rests for a moment within the shade of a hot dog stand. He is offered a piece of meat, which he hungrily gulfs down and rewards the human by allowing him to pet him before he continues on his way.

New York is of course, bustling with people and cars, and he takes great care not to be ran over or picked up by some Midgaridan. He keeps alert for his attacker as well, knowing that being out in the open left him vulnerable to be attacked or captured; but as his supposed hunter had yet to make a move he wasn’t too concerned.

Loki makes it there in decent time; only narrowly escaping sure death once or twice on the way.

When he arrived on Midgard after his banishment he had sequestered a lush penthouse. He hadn’t tricked the owners out of it, as Thor thought he had; he paid for it outright with gold. Probably more gold than it was worth in fact, with a few chests that he had ‘borrowed’ from Thor’s chambers (Really, the Einherja need to keep a better watch on their prisoners).

Anyway, the penthouse was spacious and grand, and the terrace had lovely view of Stark Tower. Loki was quite proud of it; and it was much nicer than his cottage on Alfheim, or the cave he recently stayed in on Jotunheim. The building was in central park, and once Loki actually made it to the cool greens of the park and out of the harsh concrete city it was easy going.

In his normal shape he had not taken the time to explore the area around his home; much more interested in his latest scheme then the scenery. As a feline however, he could not help but notice how different the area was from the rest if the city. The trees, the flowers, the odd couple on a picnic or a group of joggers making their way down a path; it was all so much calmer then the inner city. It truly was a haven of nature within the unforgiving steel and metal of the city.

Loki could feel his spirits rising as the pads of his paws trod on the soft grass, not noticing before how sore they had been from the unforgiving concrete. He lifted his muzzle to the air, taking in the fresh scent to of grass and trees and…

Loki stops in his tracks, a scent in the air giving him pause. He _knows_ that scent. While, he’s not too far from his building now, he can’t shake his need to investigate _._

Then he hears it. It’s faint, but clearly the soft mewls of a kitten. Immediately he goes on alert, all senses reaching out to find it. He follows the sounds and the scent to a pathetically small bush, untamed and out of the way of a footpath.

The kitten, small and black with a tiny white spot on its chest cannot be more than a few weeks old. It lies in a small nest of leaves and soft soil, tiny and alone. His heart aches in his chest at the sight of the kitten, so small and crying.

He makes a move to step closer, but stops himself.

He can smell the mother, her scent still fresh. She must have gone to fetch food for herself not too long ago. Carefully Loki backs away. He doesn’t want his scent on the kitten, lest the mother disown it, or frighten her away when she returns. It would be cruel to take it, not fully knowing the situation.

Quickly, he turns away. It would not do to become distracted now anyway. His heart aches as the cries of the kitten get farther and farther away, but he reminds himself that it isn’t _his…_

The park suddenly seems much colder and uninviting than before.

He realizes he has no means of getting to the building when he is standing outside its door.

Frustrated he paces, waiting for someone to enter the building so he can slip in. The wind picks up slightly, and Loki stops his pacing as he catches another, familiar scent. Gunmetal, doughnuts, and the strange scent of someone who has cheated death…

Loki’s eyes widen in realization.

_Coulson!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I probably won't update for a while, as I try to work on the sequel to flutter. (Also I guess the frostiron bang is happening again this year? Should I join that or ? Make the sequel part of that?? ahhh idk)
> 
> Anyway, I love all your comments and stuff guys ;u; you're awesome!


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